


Here's A Tip

by smak



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Clarke is lovestruck over Lexa, Clexa, F/F, Sexual Content, caramel drizzle clarke™, it gets fluffy too, the girl behind the counter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 17:35:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7062790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smak/pseuds/smak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sometimes too much distraction is overwhelming; you seem to be the perfect amount of both for me.”</p><p>or </p><p>Clarke is in her senior year of college and she vows to make her last year a good one. She becomes mesmerized by the girl behind the counter at the coffee shop that just opened up on campus, and decides to draw sketches on the back of her receipt and leave it in her tip jar. Lexa finds a receipt in her tip jar and when she is about to throw it away, she notices a sketch on the back of it – and it’s of her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Girl Behind The Counter

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone. This is my first clexa fic, and I really hope you'd give it a chance, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much (but hopefully more) than I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Feedback is always welcome, as I would love to know what you guys think :)
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr: tranxcendent.tumblr.com

Clarke pulls up to the college parking lot and pops open the trunk. She gets out of her blue Honda Civic and slings her duffle bag over her shoulders and carries two large boxes.  


She reaches the building, gets her dorm key from registration and takes the elevator up to her room. _Room 2150_ Clarke reads off the paper.  


She opens her dorm door and immediately drops the boxes on the floor and slings off the duffle bag. _That has to be considered an arm workout…I can skip the gym._ She smiles and puts her hair up in a bun, using a pen to hold it in place, and plops down at her bed that is to the right of the room. She studies the room and it’s a decent size. There’s a desk across from her bed, a large window that overlooks the campus’s centre court, and a washroom. It’s her senior year and she’s thankful that for the first time in three years, she has a room to herself.  


She gets up from the bed and opens one of the large boxes. She takes out a framed picture and places it on her bedside table. A finger traces the frame that holds a picture of her and her father. _I miss you._ Clarke whispers.  


She continues to unpack, placing books on the bookshelf, throwing her favourite pillow onto her bed, and hangs some of her best sketches and paintings onto the wall beside her bed. Clarke places both her hands on her hips and admires her work. She always had a fascination for art and the way it allows the artist to convey a message and express such deep feelings that she would never be able to put into words.  


Her artwork is like a time machine. She remembers exactly where she was and exactly what she was feeling when she painted that sunset on the rooftop of an abandoned building. It was a week after her father passed away, and she needed an escape; she needed an indication, a sign from the world, that there is still beauty. Clarke’s eyes becoming glassy with the memories, but she shakes her head and smiles.  


Everything happens for a reason. If that didn’t happen, she wouldn’t be here, in her senior year of completing her Art degree.  


Clarke lies on her bed in peaceful silence before the vibration of her phone disturbs the equilibrium. She takes the phone out of her jean pocket and unlocks it.  


**Octavia [9:12am]:** ARE YOU HERE YET?!  


Clarke rolls her eyes and smiles as she replies her friend.  


**Clarke [9:13am]:** Yeah, I just got here  


**Clarke [9:13am]:** In my dorm right now  


**Octavia [9:13am]:** Where’s your room?! Me and Raven are coming over  


**Clarke [9:14am]:** 2150  


**Octavia [9:14am]:** See you soon, Griffin-dor  


Clarke throws her phone on her bed as she gets up and looks out the window. Students are trickling in from every direction and some are lying on the grass laughing and chatting. Clarke thinks this will be a good year, it’s her last year; she has to make it a good year.  


She can’t wait to leave the familiarity of home. She’ll find an apartment in the city, buy a little studio, and start her career. And somewhere in between, she’ll find a cute girl to share it all with. Clarke smiles and takes a deep breath, inhaling the fresh hair.  


Before she can deepen her thoughts, there are loud knocks from her door.  


“Jeez O, you’re going to break my door down and it hasn’t even been a day.” Clarke says as she opens the door to her eager friends.  


Octavia throws herself at Clarke and wraps her in a suffocating hug, “I missed you too, Griffin-dor!” As soon as Octavia releases her, she’s again wrapped up in a suffocating hug from Raven. “Clarkeeeeee! It’s been too long!” Clarke laughs as she pushes Raven gently away, “You two literally got here a week before me and you make it seem like we haven’t seen each other in years.”  


“But that doesn’t mean we can’t miss you like it’s been years!” Raven whines and Octavia looks at her with an agreeing look.  


Clarke laughs and shakes her head. “So, no roommate I see!” Octavia says as she walks further into Clarke’s room.  


“Yeah, about time I get a room all to myself. What about you guys, still roommates?” Clarke asks as she sits on her bed, pulling Raven down with her to sit.  


“Yup! This one couldn’t get rid of me even if she tried.” Raven teased and Octavia stuck out her tongue playfully at her. “Looks like you’ve done some unpacking.”  


“And I’m so tired,” Clarke groans as she falls back onto her bed. “I need some caffeine in me.” Octavia takes Clarke’s arms and pulls her up. “There’s this new coffee shop that opened up by the dining hall, let’s go.”  


And before Clarke can say anything, they’re walking across campus to the coffee shop.  


\----------  


They walk into a small coffee shop and the aroma of coffee and baked goods fill their lungs. They find a table beside the floor to ceiling windows and take their seats.  
“When did they open this up?” Clarke asks.  


“I think during the summer.” Octavia replies while she sits on the seat closest to the window.  


Clarke looks over at the large menu above the counter and the pastries at the front of the shop.  


“Are you going to get something, Clarke?” Raven asks and Clarke pouts her lip.  


“I don’t know what to get.”  


Raven chuckles, “You always end up getting the same coffee no matter where we go anyway, so save the time and just go order it.”  


Clarke nods and was about to get up when Octavia’s phone rings and she sees her roll her eyes as she hums at the person on the other side of the phone call. “I have to go help Bellamy. His car broke down in the parking lot.” Raven gets up with Octavia “You already know you need my help.”  


Octavia smiles gratefully at Raven and turns to Clarke “You can stay here, we’ll be back in a bit hopefully.”  


“I wouldn’t go help push a car even if you asked me to.” Clarke joked as Octavia and Raven make their way out of the coffee shop.  


Clarke walked up to the counter and looked at the large menu one more time before a girl stood in front of her.  


“Good morning.” The girl behind the counter said. Clarke averted her gaze downwards and she was sure her eyes were bulging out of her head because the girl standing in front of her was gorgeous.  


Her silky brown hair tied up in a messy bun, her large glasses that encased those beautiful green eyes; Clarke couldn’t help but stare. The girl cleared her throat a little and Clarke was dragged out of her trance.  


“Hi, uh sorry, good morning.” Clarke stuttered and she knew she was blushing. The girl behind the counter quirked her lip up a bit, “What would you like?”  


Clarke almost blurted out _You_ or _Your number_ , but surprisingly she had more self-control than she thought.  


“Um, a large caramel latte with milk and extra caramel drizzle please.”  


The girl behind the counter punched the order into the cash register, “That’d be $4.16.” Clarke stumbled to get her wallet out to hand this beautiful woman the money. She took out a five dollar bill and Clarke swears she felt electricity when their fingers grazed each other for a split second.  


The girl placed the five in the register and handed Clarke her receipt and change before turning around to begin making the drink. Clarke looked at the change in her hand before dumping it into the tip jar beside the register and folded the receipt nervously as she watched the girl gracefully make her drink.  


She was mesmerized by how the girl poured the milk into the cup, how her long fingers wrapped around the cup, how her eyes squinted to pour just the perfect amount, how she worked the coffee machine so effortlessly, how she squeezed the bottle of caramel, and how she places the lid on with no trouble.  


Clarke knew she was staring but, she honestly couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t stop even if she tried, but why deny herself such a beautiful sight.  


The girl behind the counter returned with her cup of coffee in hand. “Thank you.” Is all Clarke can muster out as she takes the cup from this coffee making goddess, and smiles as she walks back to her table.  


She drinks her coffee while looking at the girl behind the counter greet customers. She probably looks like a creep if the girl ever caught her gaze, but thankfully (or unfortunately) she’s too busy making drinks for her to notice.  


Clarke smiles to herself and takes the pen out of bun, causing her hair to fall across her shoulders. She looks around for something to draw on and sees the receipt from her coffee. She turns the receipt around to its blank side and begins absentmindedly sketching the girl behind the counter.  


It’s rough, it’s messy, but it’s her.  


She drinks her coffee as she sketches with her blue ball point pen. She outlines the girl behind the counter, trying hard to emphasize the beauty she radiates through her pen and receipt. Clarke picks up her pen and rests her head on her hand, analyzing her sketch. She balances her pen in between her nose and top lip and her eyes wander back to the girl.  


She watches her wipe down the counter and cover her mouth with her arm as she lets out a tiny yawn. _Adorable._ The girl blinks away the tears from her yawn and her gaze locks with Clarke’s. She caught Clarke staring at her.  


Clarke immediately sits up straight which causes her pen to fall. Her arms flail onto the table and she almost knocks over her cup of coffee, but she grabs it just before it tips over. She feels her cheeks burning and she peeks at the girl through her strands of hair that’s partially covering half of her face.  


The girl lets out a soft chuckle. But the smile is short lasted as she covers her laugh with her hand and turns back to busy herself with work. _Wow._  


The smile only lasted for a millisecond, but Clarke is thankful she caught it. It’s a type of smile that gets heads to turn. It’s a type of smile that, if Clarke knew she could elicit such an amazing feature on her face, she would embarrass herself every single day for the rest of her life for her. It’s a type of smile that makes you feel some type of way; that makes _Clarke_ feel some type of way.  


Clarke shoos away the butterflies in her stomach that she didn’t realize was there and picks up the pen on the table, suddenly feeling inspired.  


She finishes the drawing by adding the girl’s smile just before she covered it with her hand. With her closed eyes, cheekbones prominent, and her glasses barely slipping from her nose. She gulps the last of her drink and taps her pen on the table, admiring her work.  


_Art really can’t be duplicated._  


Then, she feels her phone vibrate.  


**Octavia [11:07am]:** Finally done pushing Bellamy’s chunk of metal out of everyone’s way  


**Octavia [11:07am]:** Are you still at the coffee shop? Wanna go grab lunch?  


**Octavia [11:07am]:** I expended too much energy and I’m starving  


Clarke smiled at her phone, and if she was still staring at the girl behind the counter, she would have seen her stare right back at her.  


**Clarke [11:08am]:** Yeah, I’m still here. Do you want me to meet you guys somewhere?  


Clarke receives a text from Octavia and gathers her things to leave. She throws her coffee cup in the garbage and stands there looking at her little sketch on the receipt in her hand.  


She looks over her shoulder and sees the girl working with her back towards her.  


Clarke walks up to the counter and ponders for a second on her next move. _Hey, I study art and I’d love to study you sometime_. Clarke shakes her head and tries to come up with something more appropriate to say.  


_Hi, my name’s Clarke and I drew this of you…for you._  


Clarke takes a deep breath and decides to just go for it, knowing that rehearsing whatever she plans to say won’t actually come out when the girl is standing right in front of her. She doesn’t know why she’s so nervous, she doesn’t even know this girl. But, I guess this feeling can be compared to seeing one of the most beautiful structures or landscapes in the world.  


At first, you can hardly breathe because you need a second to take everything in. Then, you allow your eyes to wander throughout this magnificent wonder. Your heart races, your stomach feels fuzzy, and you think you could shed a tear or two just from the mere beauty of it all. You can’t believe the sight in front of you, you can’t believe something so beautiful can exist in this sometimes cruel and dark world. But, you have to believe it because it’s right there in front of you.  


Though it’s right there in front of you and you’re entrapped by it, you need that physical touch to make sure it’s real and not just a figure of your own imagination. Just a soft gentle touch to bring this reality into perspective, to bring it all to life.  


She was about to call the girl over to give her the sketch, but the loud clang of a customer spilling their drink has the girl rushing over to wipe up the mess. Clarke contemplates whether or not to wait until the girl returns, but her eye catches the tip jar in front of her.  


She places the sketch in the tip jar and walks out of the shop.  


\----------  


“We are not driving your chunk of metal anywhere, Bell!” Octavia yells as they are standing in the parking lot in front of Bellamy’s car. Octavia rolls her eyes and has her arms crossed as Bellamy tries to convince her. Raven notices Clarke first and gives her a side hug when she reaches them.  


“No suffocating hug? I thought we haven’t seen each other for years!” Clarke teased and she mouthed a _“Hey”_ to Bellamy.  


“Oh shut up!” Raven laughed as she punched Clarke on the arm. “How was the coffee at the new place?”  


“It was pretty good.”  


“Cool, we’ll have to go back sometime. I want to try one of their croissants!”  


Clarke smiled at the thought of seeing the girl behind the counter again.  


Raven missed Clarke’s smile when she turned to Octavia, “Have you two decided where we’re going? I don’t want to end up eating lunch for dinner.”  


The three started to talk over each other and argue about Bellamy’s car, and Clarke just stood there taking it all in.  


_It’s going to be a good year._ She thought and smiled.  


\----------  


A day before the first day of classes begins, Clarke finds herself in the coffee shop once again with Octavia, as Raven has to attend some orientation for mechanical engineering. Clarke scans the small shop and is unable to spot the person that has occupied her thoughts and mind the past few days  


Clarke would have came back to the coffee shop sooner, more like every single day since the first time she got here, but Raven and O didn’t allow her any free time. They said they have to make the best of their time together before the agony and stresses of school prevails.  


Clarke almost didn’t get the chance to come to the coffee shop today, but after a bit of convincing and a clever reminder to Raven about her croissant, Octavia helplessly agreed to spending their afternoon together at this small shop.  


They sit at the same table they sat at the last time they were here and Octavia notices Clarke’s unusual behaviour.  


“Are you looking for someone?” Octavia asks as she quirks her eyebrow up questioningly.  


“No, why?”  


“Because you’re scanning the shop like you’re a search dog at the airport.”  


Clarke shakes her head and gives O a disapproving look.  


“What? It’s true. So, spill it Griffin, who are you sniffing out?” Octavia says suggestively and wiggles her eyebrows.  


“O! Lower your voice a little. And I’m not looking – or ‘ _sniffing_ ’ anyone out!” Clarke whispers and leans back in her chair.  


Octavia squints her eyes at Clarke but decides to drop it – for now. “Do you think Raven would kill me if I didn’t bring one of those croissants that she’s coveted?”  
“Is that even a question?”  


Octavia nods, “Do you want anything?” as she points to the front counter with the pastries.  


Clarke looks over at the counter and lets out a sigh “No.”  


Octavia gets up to line up in the ever growing line, as it’s late afternoon and people are here to get their afternoon boost. Clarke takes out her phone and starts to play a game, trying to bury her disappointment. She gets tired of the game and begins to stare mindlessly out the large windows.  


It’s a beautiful fall day and students are walking by Clarke from the opposite side of the window. She allows her mind to drift to wondering where the girl may be. _Does she go to school here? What if that day was her last day on the job? What if she never sees her again? …What if she does?_  


Clarke takes a deep breath and exhales. A loud voice from across the shop makes Clarke turn her head into its direction “Thank goodness you’re here!” says one of the employees to a brunette who just got in, putting on her apron. And that’s when all the disappointment in Clarke disintegrates.  


There she is.  


A rush of energy and happiness floods through her body and she gets up to meet Octavia in line.  


“What are you doing?” Octavia asks as Clarke stands beside her in line, ignoring the mean stares from the people behind them.  


“I’m in line.”  


“Someone’s going to take our table.”  


Clarke shrugs but the smile on her face doesn’t get unnoticed.  


“What changed your mind?”  


“What?”  


“I thought you didn’t want anything?”  


“I decided that maybe I do want something.” Clarke smiled and Octavia gives her a questioning look.  


_“Next!”_  


Clarke practically pushes Octavia out of the way and stands in front of the girl behind the counter.  


“Hey.” Clarke says a little too enthusiastically.  


The girl gives her a small smile, “Good afternoon, what would you like?” _How does her voice do that?_ Clarke thinks to herself. She’s once again pulled into a daze as she gets lost in the girl’s eyes. She wonders what she sees when she’s looking back at her. She looks at the waves in her hair that’s in a ponytail, it looks so smooth. Her eyes drop to the girl’s hands that are entwined with one another and resting in front of her stomach. Her exposed neck –  


“Clarke!” Octavia nudges her on the shoulder and looks at her with confusion. Clarke looks at all the displeased faces staring back at her from the line. “Oh, yeah sorry I got distracted. A large caramel latte with milk and extra caramel drizzle.” The girl punches her order into the register “$4.16 please.” Clarke gives her a five and lets her fingers linger a little when the girl reaches for the bill.  


Clarke could swear she saw the girl behind the counter blush a little bit, and that makes her heart smile. The girl hands her the receipt and change before proceeding to make Clarke’s drink. She drops the change into the tip jar and wonders if the girl ever got her drawing.  


“What was all that?” Octavia whispers as she’s standing closer to Clarke.  


“What was what?”  


Before Octavia could answer, the girl behind the counter returns with Clarke’s drink.  


\----------  


They’re lucky that no one took their table, as they sip on their coffees.  


“So are you going to tell me what just happened?” Octavia asks as she rips a piece of her danish and pops it into her mouth.  


“Nothing happened. I ordered my coffee and that was all.”  


“Yeah, but before you did, you were drooling over that girl.”  


Clarke almost chokes on her coffee and glares at her friend.  


“I was not drooling over her.”  


“Right, you sniffed her out.”  


Clarke groaned as Octavia laughed knowing she was right. They sat in silence for a bit, until O whispers,  


“She’s hot, you pick ‘em good, Griffin-dor.”  


Clarke doesn’t reply and she distracts herself from Octavia’s pestering by sketching on the back of her receipt. She glances over her shoulder to see the girl behind the counter swamped with customers. Clarke wishes she could go behind the counter, wrap her arms behind this girl, and place soft kisses on her neck. _Wishful thinking, Clarke_. The girl wipes the sweat from her forehead and Clarke begins to draw. She draws the girl behind the counter in her flustered and overwhelmed state. She scrunches her eyebrows and scribbles all around the girl she’s drawn, leaving everything blued out except for the girl focused in the middle. Clarke bites the top of her pen and writes a little sentence.  


_“Sometimes too much distraction is overwhelming; you seem to be the perfect amount of both for me.”_  


She’s pleased with her finished product and sees that the coffee shop has died down a little. Octavia is texting someone on her phone; probably Raven due to the large smile plastered over her face. Clarke finishes the rest of her drink and looks over at the counter where the girl is situated. She stares for a while until the girl’s eyes meet her.  


Instead of looking away immediately and probably flipping the table by reflex, the girl’s lip gently pulls upwards. Clarke almost didn’t believe her eyes but she happily returned that smile. She doesn’t know how the girl does it but the feeling Clarke feels when their eyes lock overwhelms her entire being, and she loves it.  


Octavia places her phone down on the table, which makes Clarke cut her gaze from the beautiful brunette.  


“Do you even know her name?” Octavia smirks knowing exactly what she just caught Clarke doing.  


Clarke blushes and was about to deny it, but then decided why bother. “No…she wasn’t wearing a name tag right?”  


“What if she was but you were too busy staring at her boobs instead?”  


Clarke’s eyes go wide and it looks like she’s about to throw herself over the table and tackle her.  


“I was not staring at her boobs!”  


“Whatever you say, lovergirl.” Octavia laughs, “But she does have great boobs, if I may say so mylsef.”  


Clarke glares at Octavia “No, you may not say so yourself.”  


“I can appreciate a hot looking girl, Clarke.”  


“Not if you see her as a piece of meat.”  


Octavia laughs a little too loudly, which causes Clarke to look over at the counter to make sure the girl isn’t looking their way. “I would never dehumanize a woman like that! But, what do you see her as, then?”  


Clarke’s mind spins and she is unable to answer Octavia’s simple question. She sees her as comfort and tranquility. She sees their legs and bodies intertwined after a long day. She wants to hold her close and feel her heartbeat beat against her own. Clarke thinks what she’s feeling is just attraction to a hot girl on steroids. That’s all it is.  


Octavia starts to gather all the garbage on the table, “We should head out, Raven is finishing up the orientation.” Octavia picks up Clarke’s empty coffee cup and crumples her receipt in one hand.  


“Wait, stop! I need that!” Clarke says as she grabs O’s hand and takes the crumpled piece of paper out of her hand. She tries to smooth it out on the table, but it’s still wrinkly. Octavia looks at her with curious eyes, but leaves to throw out their garbage. When she returns, she puts Raven’s croissant in her bag and tilts her head, gesturing for them to leave.  


Clarke lingers behind her when she passes the counter and quickly slips the receipt into the tip jar. She doesn’t need to add another thing for Octavia to tease her about.  


\----------  


It’s five minutes to 10:00pm, and Lexa is finishing up closing the coffee shop.  


She had the closing shift today, which she doesn’t particularly enjoy because that means she gets back to her room late at night. And it also means she doesn’t have anything to do for the first half of the day.  


She turns off all the lights in the back before walking to the front of the shop. She stops in front of the counter and empties the tip jar. She counts all the change and stops midway when a crumpled receipt gets in her way. She rolls her eyes. _This isn’t a trashcan._ She tosses the receipt to the side and as she does, it flips over.  


Lexa picks up the receipt and looks at the drawing on it. At first, it just looks like someone scribbled all over it, but she thinks that was intentional. She quirks her head to side a bit and pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose to get a clearer view of the drawing, as the moonlight is the only light illuminating the shop.  


There’s a figure in the middle of the picture and her breath hitches when she realizes that the girl is _he._ She grazes her index finger over the outline of herself in the drawing. It’s so simple, yet there’s so much detail within it.  


Her finger traces the scribbles and down to the bottom of the little piece of paper. _There are words._ She walks over to the large floor to ceiling windows, allowing the moonlight to shine more brightly onto the page. She reads the sentence over and over and over again. _I’m a perfect amount of distraction and overwhelming?_  


She holds the receipt in her hand while the other rummages through her backpack. When her hand finds the piece of paper she was looking for, she holds it up to the moonlight, along with the receipt in her other hand. _Are they from the same person?_ She thinks as she compares the two sketches.  


Lexa then turns one of the receipts around and reads the order. She turns the other receipt around as well and her smile is so bright that the moonlight has got nothing on her.  


_Caramel drizzle girl._  


\----------  


Clarke walks into her elective class and finds a seat near the back of the lecture hall. She yawns and she silently curses herself for not choosing her classes earlier, as now she’s stuck with a class she knows nothing about and where it’s too early to function, let alone listen for a couple of hours.  


The class starts to fill up and Clarke studies all the unfamiliar faces surrounding her. Everyone settles down and the professor begins with the introduction. Clarke almost drifts into sleep when the opening of the door causes her to open her eyes.  


In walks a brunette girl wearing a large sweater, black skinny jeans, and boots. She closes the door silently and gives the professor an apologetic look and when she turns to face the class to find a seat, Clarke needed to rub her eyes to clear her vision. _The girl behind the counter._  


Clarke’s gaze never leaves the girl as she walks up the steps and finds a seat on the opposite side of the room. Clarke makes a mental note of sitting on that side of the room next time. The professor rambles on about the syllabus, and Clarke’s eyes are glued to the girl who’s diligently taking notes.  


Clarke smiles widely at herself. _Who takes notes on the first day of class?_ The girl lifts her glasses up to her head and rubs her eyes. Even from a far, Clarke can see oceans in those green eyes. She contemplates whether or not to summon her middle school self and pass her a note through the row of people.  


She looks at the sleeping boy sitting a few seats beside her and her note passing thoughts fade, knowing it would never even make it to the girl. Her eyes flicker back, and the girl is taking her glasses off her head and she’s blowing her breath onto the lenses to fog it. She uses the hem of her sweater to wipe it before putting it back on her face and slightly lifts the arm of her glasses to adjust it.  


Clarke wonders how someone doing such simple actions can be so mesmerizing.  


The girl continues to take notes, and Clarke continues to stare. She twirls her blonde hair with her finger and bites her bottom lip gently. If this is what’s going to be happening the entire year, she’s definitely going to fail this class – whatever it is.  


The girl never looks anywhere other than the front of the class, and Clarke wishes she would spare her a glance or two just to acknowledge her existence. She doesn’t know why she’s so captivated by a girl that doesn’t even have a name she could associate her with.  


Clarke props her arm on the desk and rests her head on her hand. Her eyelids become heavy and before she could stop herself, she drifts off into sleep.  


Clarke jolts her eyes open as her head falls onto the table draws out a loud thump. She rubs her head with her hand and her cheeks burn as she realizes all eyes are on her. All eyes including the pair that she’s been dying for to be looking back at her. Clarke covers her face with her hands in embarrassment. This is the second time she’s embarrassed herself in front of her.  


When she takes her hands away from her face, class resumes as normal before a glare from the professor. She exhales a deep breath and organizes her notebook. When she’s finished pretending to be paying attention, she looks over at the girl and sees her staring at her.  


Clarke blushes thinking she must think that she’s a goofball. But, all thoughts and predicaments are erased when she sees the girl’s lip quirk up in a small smile. Clarke looks down and shakes her head while smiling back at the girl. _I guess that’s one way to get her to acknowledge my existence._  


\----------  


Lexa is sitting in the storage room of the coffee shop, waiting for her shift to start. She rushed out of class earlier, even though she knew she could’ve stayed back and talked to caramel drizzle girl.  


But, why would a girl like that want to talk to a girl like her anyway?  


She takes out her phone and sees a few unread text messages.  


**Anya [10:02am]:** How was your first day of class?  


**Anya [10:14am]:** Did you see your crush again?  


**Anya [10:15am]:** I know your class is finished, don’t ignore me!  


Lexa rolls her eyes and types out her message.  


**Lexa [10:16am]:** Fine, what crush, and I’m not.  


**Anya [10:16am]:** That’s good, caramel drizzle, and you were  


Lexa ignores her and places her phone on one of the delivery boxes. She reaches for her bag and takes out the two receipts. She looks at the sketches on the back and she can’t help but fight off the smile that’s on her face.  


Maybe she does have a crush on Lexa. It may be a long shot, she could just be an artist that draws anyone and anything. Her phone lights up from the corner of her eye and she reluctantly picks up.  


“Hey Anya.”  


“Why are you ignoring my texts?! I’m hurt.” Anya fakes a whimper and Lexa lets out a small chuckle. Anya is the sister she’s never had. She’s the family that Lexa never had. They both grew up in foster care, and Anya was the only constant in her chaotic life.  


She always stood up and protected Lexa when other children made fun and teased her. Lexa doesn’t know how she would have survived without Anya. She’s the reason she’s even in her senior year of college; a feat that she never thought she would ever get the chance to experience.  


Anya saved up enough money for Lexa to go to college, but not enough for her to stay at the residency. Lexa didn’t care though, she was grateful to even be able to attend college. So, for the first three years, she took mostly online classes to avoid having to stay on campus.  


Anya knew it was a dream of Lexa’s to truly experience the college life, so last summer, she surprised her with a check large enough to cover the cost of residency. Lexa was always a person who never showed emotion, but on that day, she never cried harder in her life.  


She promised Anya that she would do everything in her capability to repay her, even though she told her she wouldn’t take her money. So, Lexa got a job at this coffee shop that newly opened up on campus. Anya wouldn’t have let Lexa take the job, but the owner was one of their long time friends from foster care, Lincoln.  


Lexa often suspects that Anya and Lincoln set this whole thing up so Lincoln could keep an eye on her when she’s here, but they assured her that it was merely a coincidence and that opening up a coffee shop on college campus was fool’s gold.  


Either way, Lexa was thankful for the both of them. They never had much growing up, but they had each other, and they made a life for themselves.  


“You’re ridiculous, Anya.” Lexa said over the whimpering noises Anya was making on the other side. “You love me though! So, tell me about caramel drizzle. Has she drizzled on you yet?”  


“Oh my god! Do you even hear the things that come out of your mouth sometimes?” Lexa hears the smirk on Anya’s face. “Actually don’t answer that. I have to go, my shift starts in 10 minutes.”  


“Wait, you didn’t answer me! Did you see her today?”  


Lexa sighs. “Yes. She’s actually in my Film, Television, and History elective class.”  


“Your what class?”  


“I don’t know actually, I think we just watch films so it should be easy.”  


Anya hums, “You should ask her for her number.” Lexa groans into her phone, “I don’t even know her _name_ , how do you expect me to ask for her number?”  


“You say: ‘Hey caramel drizzle, though I’d love to continue calling you that…maybe in a more private setting, I’d love to get your name and number’ and then you end it off with a smirk and a wink.”  


Lexa palms her face, she should be used to Anya and her antics, but it still surprises her every time. “That’s not going to happen. Ok, I really have to go now. Bye Anya.” Anya lets out a soft laugh “See ya, kid. Go get your girl.”  


She puts her phone in the front pocket of her black apron and walks out of the storage room.  


\----------  


Halfway through her shift, Lincoln leaves the shop and throws her the keys. Monday’s are the only days she can close, since she only has one class in the morning.  


It’s not busy at all, with a few customers here and there, and Lexa wishes she could just close up and head back to her room. She busies herself by getting more cups from the storage and begins stacking them.  


She stops her actions when she sees a customer in front of the counter from the corner of her eye. She places the rest in the cupboard and walks over to the counter. Her breath hitches when she sees caramel drizzle standing in front of her.  


She’s wearing a simple gray t-shirt, a leather jacket over top, blue skinny jeans, and her backpack slung over her right shoulder. And it’s Lexa’s turn to become mesmerized.  


Clarke doesn’t dare move a muscle and allows the girl behind the counter’s eyes trace her entire body. She thanks her morning self that she looks somewhat presentable. She takes a deep breath and smiles, “Hi.”  


This pulls Lexa back to reality, “Hey,” Caramel drizzle just nods and smiles, like she’s mentally thinking of what to say to lengthen the conversation “What would you like?”  


Clarke smile disappears as she knows the conversation is about to end. Before Clarke can reply, the girl catches her off guard.  


“A large caramel latte with milk and extra caramel drizzle?”  


Clarke is stunned and all she can do is nod.  


The girl’s smile grows a little wider, “Missed your coffee this morning?”  


Clarke blushes as she recalls her incident in class this morning, “I am by no means a morning person.”  


Lexa laughs as she punches the order into the register, “And what kind of person are you?”  


“I’m a person who enjoys their coffee and great company.”  


Lexa is now the one to blush and all she can say is “$4.16 please.” Clarke takes out a five she took out earlier from her jacket pocket to avoid stumbling for her wallet and embarrassing herself once again. The girl exchanges her five for her receipt and change, in which Clarke drops the latter into the tip jar while the girl makes her drink.  


Clarke is staring at the girl behind the counter, a thing she’s become accustomed to doing now, and she is reminded of the fact that she doesn’t know the girl’s name.  
The girl returns with her drink in hand and Clarke takes it slowly, “Thank you.” They exchange smiles and both girls just stand there awkwardly waiting for the other to say something – anything – else.  


Clarke breaks the silence, “Is there a manager I could talk to?” Lexa’s eyes go wide and she looks utterly concerned.  


“No…he left. Is there something wrong?”  


Clarke smirks and nods “Yeah, why don’t you wear a nametag? It makes it really difficult to come up with a way to ask you for your name.” Clarke sees the girl’s demeanor change dramatically and relaxes.  


“Well, I guess it makes for conversation.” Clarke smiles and quirks her eyebrow up, waiting for the girl to give her what she’s asking. “Lexa. My name is Lexa.”  
Clarke smiles widely and gives Lexa her free hand in a handshake, “I’m Clarke.”  


Lexa returns the smile and shakes Clarke’s hand. “Clarke.” She whispers. They stand in silence once again, while their hands still attached. They are broken from their trance when a group of people enter the shop and stand beside Clarke.  


Lexa releases Clarke’s hand and nods. Clarke turns around and Lexa says quietly “See you around, caramel drizzle.”, which causes Clarke to face her again and give her a questioning look behind a smile she couldn’t hide.  


Clarke sits down at her usual table and sips her coffee. She looks over at Lexa which is busy taking customer’s orders.  


She pulls out her pen from her bag and begins sketching on the back of the receipt. She quickly sketches out the girl behind the counter, and a smile creeps up on her lips.  


It’s rough, it’s messy, but it’s _Lexa._


	2. Get The Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took somewhat long to update! But as always, thanks for the love! I really appreciate it :) 
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr: tranxcendent.tumblr.com

 

Clarke was sitting at her desk the next day on her laptop, mindlessly surfing the web. She checked her phone and saw it was nearing noon. She looked up at the ceiling and stretched her arms above her head and let out a yawn.

She didn’t have class until later in the evening and she knew Octavia’s class was ending soon, so she sent her a quick text hoping she’d like to join her for lunch.

 **Clarke [11:46am]:** Hey O, wanna grab lunch?

 **Octavia [11:48am]:** Sure! Meet me at my room, in like 10 mins, I want to drop off my stuff before we go

Clarke stood up, grabbed her purse, and headed over to Octavia’s dorm.

\-----

Clarke knocked on Octavia and Raven’s door, but no one answered. Knowing O isn’t here yet, she slid down against the wall beside the door and hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knee. She watched students walk by her and occasionally eavesdrop on conversations that were happening near her.

A particular conversation caught Clarke’s attention and she turned her head to the left and saw two girls talking about a welcome week party that’s happening this week.

She tried to listen more intently but the noise of chatter of other students around her made it difficult. Clarke wasn’t the type to skip a party, she enjoyed the familiar taste of alcohol that would flow through her system, and she especially enjoyed seeing Raven and Octavia make a fool of themselves. She smiled at the memories and her mind wandered to Lexa; as it did so often lately.

Did Lexa enjoy parties? What kind of drunk would Lexa be? Talkative? Grumpy? _Touchy?_

Clarke’s face reddened at the thought of a touchy Lexa. How it would feel to have her –

“Are you okay?”

Clarke was quickly pulled out of her almost inappropriate thoughts and stood up to meet Octavia’s gaze.

“Yeah I’m good.”

Octavia looked Clarke up and down and before unlocking her door, she gave Clarke a questioning look.

They walked into the room and Octavia threw her backpack on her bed. She started gathering her phone and wallet while Clarke sat at the edge of Raven’s bed.

“Where do you want to go?” Octavia asked as she dug in her closet to find her purse.

Clarke played with the strap of her purse “How about the coffee shop?

Octavia stopped looking in her closet and turned around to look at Clarke. “You want to go to the coffee shop…to get lunch?”

Clarke nodded.

“What are we going to eat? Croissants?” Octavia said as she made her way to Clarke while squinting at her.

Octavia sat down beside her and Clarke didn’t make eye contact. She could feel Octavia starring at her so intently that she swears she could burn a hole in her. Clarke rolls her eyes and finally turns to look at her friend, as she analyzes her. They don’t say anything for what feels like forever; never breaking eye contact with each other, until Octavia ends the silence.

“You like her.”

Clarke was about to get defensive and deny what and who Octavia is talking about, but she decided to play it cool. “Like who?”

Octavia scoffs and gets up to continue looking for her purse. “You know _exactly_ who I’m talking about, Clarke. Don’t play dumb, you can’t fool me.”

“What if I actually don’t know who you’re talking about though?” Clarke says as she spots O’s purse under her bed.

“Then I guess you wouldn’t care if I said we’re not going to the coffee shop then.” Octavia takes the purse Clarke is handing her. “Thanks.”

Clarke doesn’t respond as she watches Octavia put her things into her purse and sling it over her shoulder.

“But I’m not that kind of friend.” Octavia wraps her arm around Clarke’s shoulders. “I would never deny you the pleasure of seeing your coffee girl.”

Clarke rolls her eyes and laughs while pushing Octavia’s arm away. Octavia opens the door and gestures for Clarke to walk by extending her arm through the door like a doorman.

“Now let’s go get your girl.”

\-----

Clarke and Octavia make their way inside the coffee shop and Clarke immediately looks to the counter. Octavia laughs and follow Clarke’s gaze to the counter.

“There she is.” Octavia says as they sit at their soon-to-be usual table by the floor to ceiling windows.

“There she is.” Clarke whispers almost inaudibly and nearly misses her chair as she sits down.

Octavia props her arm on the table and rests her chin in her hand, and looks at Clarke with a big smile on her face. “You are so smitten and you don’t even know her name.”

Clarke reluctantly looks away from Lexa and looks at Octavia. “Actually, I do know her name.”

Octavia quirks up an eyebrow, silently telling Clarke to continue.

“Her name is Lexa.” Clarke can’t hold back the smile that appears on her face, so she looks down at the table hoping it wasn’t too obvious.

“Aww, I don’t know if I should think this is disgusting or adorable – maybe disgustingly adorable – that even just her _name_ turns little Clarkey into a puddle of mush.”

Clarke pushes Octavia’s elbow causing her to head bob from her comfortable position. Octavia laughs and leans back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest “Are you going to go talk to her or are we still pretending we’re actually eating lunch here?”

Clarke groans and covers her face with her hands “I domb ein kow wah tu sey!”

Octavia leans in across the table. “What?”

Clarke removes her hands from her face. “I don’t even know what to say!”

They sit in silence for a couple of minutes trying to think of what Clarke could possibly say.

Octavia claps her hands together in triumph, which startles Clarke and other customers sitting around them. “Invite her to the party!”

“What party? The welcome party or whatever?”

“Yeah! How do you know about it? But that’s not important. Go and ask her if she wants to go with you!” Octavia claps her hands together loudly again. “Damn, I’m so smart!”

Clarke looks apologetically at the people giving them disapproving looks for O’s loud claps. “Stop clapping, O. When is it?”

“This Friday.”

Clarke mulls over the idea. “That means I have a couple of days before I ask her – if I even decide to ask her.”

Octavia scoffs. “You mean if you decide to woman-up and get the girl.”

\-----

It’s the beginning of the lunch rush and Lexa is taking order after order.

The line doesn’t seem to end and Lexa curses herself for taking a later class instead of a noon one. While she is bombarded with customers, her eyes still catch the only customer that she would be happy to serve, walking into the shop.

She steals glances now and then, multitasking between taking orders and watching Clarke as she and her friend, that she has seen the last time they were here, make their way to the table they usually sit at.

Lexa moves to make the customer’s drink and she finds herself staring at Clarke as she discusses something with her friend, a discussion that seems to have Clarke stressed out about.

Her eyes don’t move from Clarke and she suddenly feels a stream of liquid roll down her hands. “Shit.” Lexa flings the liquid off of her hand and wipes it on her apron before throwing the cup away and begin making the drink again.

“Good thing that wasn’t hot coffee.” Lincoln chuckles as he takes the cup from Lexa’s hand and starts scooping ice into the cup. Lexa gives Lincoln a stoic expression and nods slightly. “Maybe I should make a sign telling pretty girls need to sit in the corner of the shop to prevent injuries to my staff.”

“Shut up.” Lexa hits Lincoln on the arm before moving back to the counter to take orders.

\-----

Lexa is exhausted by the time the line dies down. She moves further behind the counter and looks to where Clarke was sitting, but only sees her friend typing away on her phone. Lexa scrunches her eyebrows together and searches around the shop, but to no avail. _Maybe she’s in the washroom. Or maybe she left._

She moves back to the counter and plays with a straw in her hand when the presence of a customer makes her stand back up straight.

“Oh.” Is all Lexa could say when her eyes meet beautiful blue ones.

Clarke smiles “Oh to you too.”

Lexa blushes, which makes Clarke smile wider. “Sorry, hi Clarke.”

Clarke bites her lip absentmindedly. _She remembers my name._ “Hey Lexa.”

Lexa holds her breath for some odd reason and she feels her heart pounding so fast that she thinks she might be having a heart attack. _She remembers my name._ She adjusts her glasses a bit and mentally tells herself to pull it together. “Large caramel latte with milk and extra caramel drizzle, am I right?”

Tightening her grip on her purse strap, Clarke nods. Lexa winks before putting the order into the register and Clarke can only stare as she tries to embed that memory of Lexa winking at her in her mind forever.

Lexa’s eyes meet hers again and stares at her with anticipation. Clarke snaps out of her thoughts. “Shit, sorry.” And pulls out a five dollar bill from her wallet and hands it to Lexa. Disappointment rushes over her as their fingers didn’t brush against each other when Lexa took the bill.

Lexa gathers the change and rips the receipt from the register when she sees Clarke shifting her weight from one leg to another and gripping her purse strap for dear life. “Are you okay?” she asks as she extends her hand out to give Clarke her change and receipt.

Clarke’s head jolts upwards and reaches out to take the items. Lexa places it into Clarke’s hands, but she’s shaking so much that she drops her change all over the counter. “I’m so sorry!” Lexa says as she was about to help Clarke pick up her change from the counter.

“No no no, it’s okay! It was my fault, you know, just being clumsy old me.” Clarke lets out a nervous laugh as she picks up every coin.

Lexa chuckles, “Oh, I do know.” And makes her way over to make Clarke’s drink.

Clarke is internally screaming at herself and drops the change into the tip jar; a habit she’s developed.

She looks over at Octavia who is giving her thumbs up. She turns back and waits for her drink and goes over how she’s going to ask Lexa to go to the party with her. Clarke closes her eyes and tries to think of words, any words and hope it comes out of her mouth.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Clarke?”

Clarke shoots her eyes open and sees an amused, yet concerned, Lexa. She takes the drink she’s handing her. “Thanks, yeah I’m okay…it’s um…I was thinking…uh…”

Lexa gives her a questioning look.

“Um…maybe I don’t know…we…you…you know what never mind, thank you again.” And quickly walks back to Octavia, leaving a confused Lexa behind the counter.

\-----

Clarke sits down and slams her coffee down on the table. “I suck.”

Octavia places her hand on top of Clarke’s and laughs “Girl, I thought you got game, but I felt embarrassed for you even just watching you from here.”

Worried eyes meet Octavia’s. “You think I embarrassed myself?! Do you think _Lexa_ thinks I was a total fool?!”

“Whoa whoa whoa, calm down Clarke.” Octavia chuckles, “I think she’s confused as to what happened, she keeps looking over here.”

Octavia gives Lexa a wide smile and Clarke turns to look at Lexa who mouths “ _Are you okay?_ ” Clarke smiles and nods. Lexa returns the smile and she lets out a laugh as her gaze falls to the right of Clarke. Clarke looks to Octavia and sees her drawing invisible circles on the side of her head and mouthing “ _She’s crazy!_ ”

Clarke reaches over the table and smacks Octavia on the arm.

Octavia laughs and turns back to face Clarke. “What are we doing now? You kinda struck yourself out, so are we leaving?”

Clarke takes a sip of her coffee and shakes her head. “No, give me a few minutes.”

She reaches into her purse and pulls out a pen and flips her receipt around. Octavia lets out a sigh. “I’m so hungry Clarke, why can’t you just draw later?”

Clarke rolls her eyes and goes into wallet. “Knock yourself out.” And pushes a ten dollar bill across the table to O.

“You don’t need to ask me twice!” She takes the bill and makes her way over to the counter.

Clarke laughs and thinks that was money well spent to get Octavia to stop pestering her, and begins her drawing on the back of the receipt.

\-----

By the time Octavia comes back, Clarke is finishing up her drawing.

She puts her coffee and two parchment bags on the table. She pushes one of the bags across the table and Clarke looks up from her drawing. “What’s this?”

“This is what having game looks like.” Octavia smirks. “Oh, and here.”

She hands her the ten dollar bill back and Clarke gives her a confusing look.

“I told you, I got game. You should learn from me.” Octavia says as she opens up the bag and takes a bite of her danish.

“Octavia, you did not just ask Lexa out.” Clarke gives her a serious look.

Octavia takes her time chewing, enjoying her sight of a non amused Clarke in front of her. She swallows before answering. “Like I said, you struck yourself out, so next batter up and –”

“Octavia!” Clarke says sternly as she feels herself boiling with anger.

O laughs, which makes Clarke even angrier. “Chill girl! Lexa is hot as hell, but I’m not interested. And even if I were, I would never do that to you.”

Clarke’s face softens and takes a deep breath.

“I have my own lover behind the counter.”

“What?” Clarke asks as she opens up the bag containing a croissant.

“I invited him to the party.” Octavia nods her head over to the counter where a guy was talking to Lexa. “Lincoln.”

“How did you get these without paying?”

“I told you, Griffin. I got game.”

Clarke laughs and puts the finishing touches to her drawing. “Are you still up for getting an actual meal?”

Octavia nods and gets up from her chair. Clarke gathers her things and throws away her cup before meeting her.

They walk past the counter and Lexa and Lincoln are immersed in a conversation. Clarke puts her receipt into the tip jar, while Octavia waves at Lincoln with a flirtatious smile.

Clarke and Lexa make eye contact before Lexa gives her a small wave goodbye.

They make their way outside and start walking across campus when Clarke can’t fight the weird, but comforting feeling, in her stomach; another habit she’s developed.

\-----

Lexa picks up her backpack from the backroom and walks back into the front of the shop. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lincoln.”

Lincoln wipes his hands on his apron before pulling her into a hug. “Have a good day, and don’t forget to take your tips.” Lexa nods and squeezes him a little tighter.

Lexa has insisted that they share what’s in the tip jar, but Lincoln always tells Lexa that she earned all the tips. So, whenever Lexa is working, at the end of her shift, she is basically required by Lincoln to empty the tip jar. She knows it’s his way of supporting her in every possible way, and she couldn’t be more grateful.

She goes over to the front of the counter and pours the contents into the front pocket of her backpack. She waves goodbye to Lincoln again before making her way to class.

\-----

The lecture hall to her English Lit class is half filled and with noise from different conversations from the students. Lexa takes a seat in the middle and takes out her notebook and pen.

She removes her hair from its bun and lets her hair fall over her shoulders. She takes a sip from her coffee and opens up the front pocket of her backpack to where her tips were.

Her hand rummages in the pocket until it find what she hoped would be there waiting for her. Lexa takes out the piece of paper and smiles as she sees the familiar receipt order. She zips up the backpack and places it on the seat beside her.

She takes a deep breath before turning the receipt over to reveal Clarke’s drawing.

Her breathe hitches with the sight before her.

Lexa pushes her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, it doesn’t make her vision clearer, but she would like to think it does. Her fingers graze the lines of a crowd of people and the banner that reads “ _Welcome_ ”. There are balloons above the people and Lexa thinks that Clarke is the most talented person in the world. Her fingers make their way down to the bottom of the paper and her eyes begin to water due to pure joy and sheer happiness.

_Come with me to the Welcome Party this Friday?_

\-----

Clarke knocks on the door the next morning and is greeted by a yawning Raven. “What time is it?”

“8:00am.”

“What the hell? How are you up and dressed at this time? You’re the worst morning person I know.”

Clarke just shrugs and gives her friend a small smile.

Raven leaves Clarke at the door and plops back down into her bed. “O, go deal with your friend.” She says into her pillow to a sleeping Octavia in the bed across from hers. Octavia groans and throws her blanket over her head.

Clarke walks into the room and closes the door behind her. “I guess it’s a no to coming to get coffee?”

Raven sits up abruptly and smirks at Clarke knowingly. “Coffee, eh?”

“Never mind, it’s too early for this. Go back to sleep, I’ll see you guys later.”

“Not so fast.” Raven jolts in between the door and Clarke. “Tell me about _Lexa_.”

Clarke turns to look at Octavia who’s peeking through her blanket. “Seems like you already know all there is to know.”

Raven nods. “Octavia is a pretty detailed storyteller. Such as how you were sweating buckets and shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, and how you were practically undressing Lexa with your eyes, and that you couldn’t –”

“Okay stop!” Clarke says as her cheeks redden in embarrassment.

Both Raven and Octavia burst into laughter. “How do you know she’s even single? Or that she even digs the chicks?”

“I don’t to either of those. And I’m just going to assume she likes girls until proven otherwise – like how people _assume_ everyone’s straight.”

Raven gives Clarke a disapproving look. “I would love to get into that topic with you, like the many times we’ve had, but it is way too early for that.” And makes her way back into bed.

Clarke laughs and opens the door. “I’ll text you later.”

\-----

Clarke glances into the large windows of the coffee shop, but the reflection from the sun makes it impossible for her to see inside.

She walks into the shop and gets in the line. She stands on her tippy toes to peer over the couple of people ahead of her and the girl behind the counter makes getting up at an ungodly hour worth it.

The line moves fairly quickly and before she knows it, the person in front of her receives their order and it’s her turn.

Clarke walks up to the counter and is met by a wide smiling Lexa who’s standing in the cutest fashion with her hands behind her back. Her hair is tied up in a ponytail and her big glasses act like a display box encasing the most precious art form that resides in Lexa’s eyes.

“Good morning, Clarke.”

The memorable feeling in her stomach erupts with the simple action of Lexa saying her name. “Good morning, Lexa.”

Lexa quirks her lips up and Clarke glances to her left and sees people beginning to enter the shop.

“Can I get a –”

Before she can finish her sentence the hand behind Lexa’s back is revealed and she holds out a large cup in front of her. “Yes, you can get a large caramel latte with milk and extra caramel drizzle.” She says with a wink.

Clarke’s eyes are wide and she covers her mouth in surprise. “Thank you.” She whispers as she takes the cup from Lexa. “How?”

Lexa points to the large windows. “I saw you squinting and scrunching your face as you looked into the shop.”

“Oh my god.” Clarke’s face reddens. “I couldn’t see inside!”

Lexa laughs and Clarke places the drink on the counter and reaches into her backpack to find her wallet.

“Hey,” Lexa reaches over and gently hold Clarke’s arm. Clarke stops her actions and stares at Lexa’s hand on her before slowly looking up to meet her gaze. “It’s fine, it’s on me.”

Lexa releases her arm and she immediately misses her touch. “No, I can’t do that. I have to pay.”

“Really, it’s fine Clarke, please.”

Clarke smiles and nods. “Okay, thank you. But I still need to give you a tip.”

Lexa chuckles and shakes her head. “You know you don’t need change to do to that.” Lexa bites her lip slightly and continues. “You being here is more than enough.”

Clarke blushes and smiles. “I can say the same thing about you.”

Before they can further their conversation, Lexa reluctantly has to end it “As much as I would love to stop time and talk to you, time is ticking and customers’ anger is rising.”

Clarke laughs and takes her cup of coffee from the counter and begins to move away from the counter. “And I don’t want to be late for class. Thanks for the coffee, again.”

“Thanks for making my morning.” Lexa says before a customer blocks her view.

\-----

She crosses the campus’s centre court and takes a sip of her coffee. She smiles at the thought that Lexa was the one who made this for her. She grips the cup tightly and looks down at it. Her smile never leaves her face and she quirks her eyebrow up when she sees black marker lines on the side of the cup.

She rotates the cup in her hand slightly and stops in her tracks. Her heart floods with emotions and she giggles at the sight.

On the side of the cup is a stick figure drawing of two girls, presumably her and Lexa, as one of them has glasses on. They’re both wearing party hats and there is a combination of three letters that she never knew could make her so happy.

_Yes._

 

 


End file.
